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About Me

As an Air Force wife, I moved sixteen times in twenty-six years and lived in parts of the globe that were far from the Chicago suburb where I grew up. My husband Don and I raised our three children in such places as New Mexico, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, and the Philippines. During these nomad years, I taught English on Air Force bases and in community colleges. When we finally settled down, I was able to fulfill a longtime yearning by attending seminary and becoming ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ. I have served churches in Virginia and Florida, where Don and I now live.

Writing has always been an interest, perhaps a compulsion. While I was leading our daughters' Girl Scout troops, I self-published two books for youth leaders. (My family and I personally boxed and mailed over 50,000 copies of What to Do Instead of Screaming!) Since I entered the ministry, I have authored four books published by United Church Press. I am an avid reader of mysteries, but I had never written one until a young friend was diagnosed with autism. As I began to research the subject, an eight-year-old autistic boy named Skipper strolled into my imagination and took up residence. The result was my first novel, Downside Seven, set in rural North Carolina where my family has a summer cottage.

My second mystery novel, Runaway Poet, grew out of my experience as a volunteer in Floria's Guardian Ad Litem program. In partnership with the Department of Children and Families' Services, these volunteer "guardians" advocate for the interests of children who come under the protection of the court. During my ten years of visiting children in their homes and schools, I have come to know youth who have been shuffled through too many foster homes and who carry deep emotional scars. I have seen the heartbreak of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the hopefulness of parents who resolve to kick the drug habit, and the joy of a child adopted into a forever family. While Runaway Poet is pure fiction, its portrait of abused and neglected children is very real, as is its picture of people who work hard to make their lives better.